Scientists and Engineers for America


Scientists and Engineers for America was an organization focused on promoting sound science in American government, and supporting candidates who understand science and its applications. SEA was formed on September 27, 2006, and describes itself as non-partisan.
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SEA appears to have ceased active operations in October 2011. The following note was posted on SEA's Facebook page on October 28, 2011, by former SEA Program Director Brie Welzer:
The remainder of this page describes SEA when it was still active.
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SEA is organized as a 501 organization, and represents a reorganization of Scientists and Engineers for Change, an organization founded in 2004 to support the election of John Kerry. Its current executive director is Tom Price. SEA operates a wiki site called the Science, Health And Related Policies Network, which allows members to track and contribute information on Congressional representatives, candidates, and science policy issues. SEA is associated with a 501 organization known as the SEA Action Fund, whose president is geneticist Michael Stebbins.

Political positions

Bill of Rights for Scientists and Engineers

A bill of rights which outlines the principles of the organization states:

Mission statement

The organization's mission statement states:

Programs

SHARP Network

The Science, Health and Related Policies Network is a wiki to track congressional representatives, senators, and candidates as well as presidential candidates.

Innovation & the Elections 2008

Scientists and Engineers for America organized a coalition of 19 science organizations to submit a set of 7 questions to all the candidates for United States Congress. The coalition includes groups such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Sciences, and Science Debate 2008.

Campaign Education and Training

The Campaign Education and Training project is a workshop aimed at training science-oriented professionals to run for public office.
Along with the workshop, SEA also hosts an online advice column called Campaign Lab for scientists to ask political experts on different aspects of running for political office.

SEA chapters

SEA chapters provide a way for students and members of the scientific community to influence the interface between science and politics. These chapters develop the means for both current and future scientists and engineers to influence the policy arena and expand the forum through which SEA involves scientists and engineers in the political and civic process.

Board of Advisers

Among others, the SEA Board of Advisers includes noted Nobel Laureates such as:
Soon after its foundation, the organization was accused of partisanship by several conservative media outlets. An editorial in The Wall Street Journal criticised the organization for seeming to stifle scientific dissent:
In a rebuttal posted on the SEA website, founding executive director Michael Brown stated: